Petr Cech has been added to the long list of players unavailable today through injury but Felipe Scolari has defended his choice of squad size for the season.

Chelsea's first choice keeper has a calf injury that also sees him withdraw from the Czech Republic squad to play San Marino next week.

Alex, Juliano Belletti, Franco Di Santo, Joe Cole, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien are also out. When everyone is fit the full squad is 24-strong, and that's the way it is staying according to Scolari.

'When I arrived in Chelsea I had 34, 35 players and six in the same position. That is impossible.

'In the future I will have 24 players and no more. When I chose 24 I chose players who can play in two positions and give me the chance to change this and that.

'I don't want more because I don't believe in a squad with 34, you have 34 with the same quality. You can have 20 players who don't play. I don't want players only for training.

'With all of the [injury] problems, we are still in first position and it is because all of the players are very good.'

To improve on recent defeats, when poor finishing has been highlighted by the manager, instead of adding numbers, Scolari will concentrate on honing what he has. A quality rather than quantity policy.

'I try every day for three hours with my staff, with Ray [Wilkins], with Murtosa, to teach the players things like look, when you arrive in this position, you need to put your body in that position.

'But it is not a job for one day, it is a job for one year, two years.'

By way of example, Scolari recalls his days in Brazil managing Palmeiras and a left-back Junior who would later be part of the 2002 World Cup-winning squad.

'He never shot with right, only his left, and we try to teach him right, right, right. In the second year he scored one goal from outside the area with his right foot and he came to Murtosa and said thank you.

'So that was second year so you need to teach and the players need to understand you get better if you train. This is what we do every day here and maybe in the future, we will see. But it is not one month.'

Today's game can be followed via full live commentary on Chelsea Plus.